Destruction in Portland: Peaceful Trump protest turns into riot

PORTLAND, Ore. – Twenty-six people were detained overnight after a peaceful Donald Trump protest turned into a riot in Portland Thursday night into early Friday morning.

One of the 26 was later released, according to police. Of the 25 arrested, most were accused of disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer.

It was the third straight night people took to the streets to voice their opposition to Trump's election. The crowd remained mostly peaceful until demonstrators met with an anarchist group that scheduled an 8 p.m. rally at Holladay City Park. Police estimated there were as many as 4,000 protesters.

At around 8:30 p.m., Portland police, who had taken a hands-off approach the previous two nights, tweeted that the protest was considered a riot "due to extensive criminal and dangerous behavior."

Multiple acts of vandalism then took place in Northeast Portland. Protesters tagged buildings, kicked cars, shattered an office building window and knocked out power.

"They started throwing bricks through windshields. The cars are totaled," a worker told KGW. "I believe in peaceful protest but this is ridiculous. We're a nation that needs to come together and heal."

Protesters tried to takeover Interstate 5, as they had the previous two nights, but police blocked them from entering the freeway.

To get back to the west side, protesters crossed the Broadway Bridge then marched through the Pearl, where mayhem broke out. Some protesters smashed windows with baseball bats while other protesters tried to stop their destructive actions.

“What you saw was anarchist individuals," said Sgt. Pete Simpson of Portland police of the people who committed the criminal acts.

Shortly before 10 p.m., police in riot gear converged on the march and instructed those who want to protest peacefully to head to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where the protest started at about 5 p.m. Some protesters were detained, however there did not appear to be a mass arrest.

Protesters returned to Pioneer Courthouse Square before heading south on Southwest 6th Avenue, when at about 11:30 p.m., they were stopped by police in riot gear at the intersection with Yamhill Street. Police set off smoke bombs and flash bangs, and most of the crowd of about 1,500 protesters dispersed. Police detained several people at that time.

About nine hours later, he changed his tone and tweeted, "Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!"

The protest starts off peacefully

The protest began as a peaceful demonstration by a newly formed group called Portland’s Resistance. From the rally at Pioneer Square, the crowd of thousands of people marched east on the Hawthorne Bridge, blocking traffic and stranding drivers.

TriMet MAX and bus lines were delayed throughout the night. Some MAX stops, including two at Pioneer Square and two at Portland State University, closed early for safety reasons, according to TriMet spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt.

Wednesday night's protest

On Wednesday night, protesters marched through downtown Portland and onto freeways to protest Trump’s election. The crowd grew to more than 2,000 people and did not stop marching until early Thursday morning.

The demonstration was mostly peaceful, but there were scattered acts of vandalism and small fires. Police arrested one man who they said threw a Molotov cocktail into a fire. No one was injured by the explosive.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales declined an on-camera interview following the protests, but said in a written statement that “vandalism, and destruction of public and private property in our city cannot, and will not be tolerated.”